Banana-crate.



No. 708,654. Patented sept. 9, |902.

w. n. MONTGOMERY.

BANANA CRATE.

(Application filed Jag. 24, 1902.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER REGINALDMONTGOMERY, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN H. SHEPHERD, OF SHREVEPORT, LOUISIANA.

BANANA-CRATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 708,654, dated September 9, 1902. Application iiled January 24, 1.902. Serial No. 91,107. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: the manner of assembling the staves or slats Be it known that I, WALTER REGINALD with the end hoops or bands.v MONTGOMERY, a citizen of the United States, `The crate characterized by this invention residing at Shreveport, inthe parish of Caddo comprises a plurality of staves or slats 1, end 55 and State of Louisiana, have invented a new hoops or bands 2, a sack or holder 3, and

and useful Banana-Crate, of which the folclamping-bands 4 for holding the sack selowing is a specification. curely associated with the end hoops 2. The

This invention relates to banana-crates. staves or slats 1, of which there are four ein- The object of the invention is to present a ployed in this instance, although it is to be 6o ro crate adapted to receive a bunch of bananas understood that in actual practice a greater and to hold the same in suspension in a sack number may be employed, comprise each a or covering in such manner as to present a strip of wood provided nearv its terminals perfect cushion to shield the contained fruit with a plurality of pairs of openings 5 and against injury when the crate is being hantransverse depressions 6, disposed adjacent 65 dled, the sack to be associated with a frameto the ends of the staves, the said openings Work in such manner, as while being posiand depressions to be engaged by holdingtively supported thereby, it will be'kept from cords 7 for securing the mouths of the sack contact therefrom, thereby obviating any 3 together, thus to hold the bunch of bananas danger of bruising or mashng the contained securely therein. The sack has both ends "7o zo fruit. j Y l open to permit insertion of the bunch of ba- A further object is to present a banauananas at one end and its withdrawal at the crate which shall combine simplicity of conopposite end, so that all danger of stripping struction, efficiency and durability in use, the fruit from the stem when placing the and readiness of manufacture and in which` bunches inY the holder will be obviated. As 75 the parts shall be so constructed and assemshown in Figs. l and 2, the cords7 engage bled as mutually to brace eachother against with the depressions G and are thus held from danger of collapse or b'reakingin use. slipping on the staves and also from being cut With these and other objects in view, as by striking against objects while in transit; willappear as the nature of the invention is but it is be understood that, if preferred, the 8o 3o better understood, the same consists inthe cords may be passed through the openings 5,

' novel construction and combination of parts and as this will be readily understood deof a banana-crate, as will be hereinafter fully tailed illustration thereof is deemed unnecdescribed and claimed; essary. i

In the accompanying drawings, forming a The hoops 2, which are by preference of 8;

part of this specication, and in which like wood, are held assembled with the staves by numerals of reference indicate corresponding dowel-pins 8, (clearly shown in Fig. 4,) or, if parts, there is illustrated a form of embodipreferred, as will be obvious, screws or nails ment of the invention capable of carrying the may be substituted for the said pins, and the same into practical operation, itbeing undersaid" hoops and the clamping-bands are sego 4o stood that the elements therein exhibited may curelyclamped together and also held in pobe varied or changed as to shape, proportion, sition upon the staves by bolts 9, of which and exact manner of assemblage without dethere is one for each stave, the Shanks of parting from the scope of the invention, and these bolts being seated in openings proin the drawings vided in the staves for the purpose and hav- 95 Figure l is a View in perspective of a crat ing their lower ends projecting into lateral characterizing the present invention. Fig. orifices l0, in each of which is housed a nut 2 is a view in vertical longitudinal section. 11, to be engaged by the lower threaded Fig. 3 is a fragmentary detail view in section ends of the bolts. When the material of the showing the manner in which the sack or sack is clamped between the bands 4 and loo 5o holder is held associated with the crate. Fig. hoops 2 and the bolts 9 have been secured 4 .is a similar view showing more particularly in position, it will be seen that disconnection of the sack will be practically impossible; but to insure that accidental separation in use shall not take place and as a matter of further and specific im provement each clampingband is provided with a downturned iiange 12, adapted to fit over the periphery of the hoops, as clearly shown in Figs. 2 and 3, and the edge of the mouths of the bag are corded, as at 13, and by this arrangement when the clamping-bands are in position their anges Will contact with the corded edges of the sack mouths, and thus positively hold the parts against separation. In order, further, to hold the band 4 and hoop 2 rigidly assembled, bolts 14 (clearly shown in Fig. 2) are disposed between the bolts 9 and project through the clamping-bands, sack mouths, and hoops 2, and carry at their inner ends nuts 15, by Which to clamp the parts together. When a sack has thus been associated with the frame of the crate, it Will be held there so long as it is in condition foruse; but should it become torn or otherwise damaged a new one may be associated with the frame merely by removing the bolts 9 and 14, as will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 2.

When a bunch of bananas is to be placed in the sack, the cords 7 at both ends of the crate are loosened, and the stern of the bunch is projected through one end of the sack, after which the mouth portion thereof is securely tied around the stem, thereby holding the bunch suspended. The bottom end of the sack is then closed in like manner, and by bringing the cords into engagement with the appropriate openings or depressions G the sack may be adj usted to bunches of bananas of different lengths. In being handled or shipped the sack will occupy a vertical position, so that the bananas will be kept from contacting With the staves, and thereby be shielded against bruising. When a crate has reached its destination, it will only be necessary to loosen the cord at the stem end of the bunch, when the latter may readily be removed.

Having thus fully described my invention,

what 1 claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Abanana-crate comprisingaplurality of staves, hoops secured to the terminals of the staves, a sack having its ends turned over the hoops, and means for detachably clamping the sack ends against the hoops.

2. Abanana-crate comprisinga plurality of staves, hoops secured to the terminals of the staves, a sack having its ends turned over the hoops, clamping-bands disposed against the overturned ends of the sack, and bolts passing through the bands, sack ends and hoops and detachably secured in the staves.

3. Abanana-cratecomprisinga pluralityof staves, each provided near its terminals with an orifice, hoops secured to the terminals of the staves, a sack having its ends turned over the hoops, clampingbands disposed against the overturned ends of the sack, bolts passing through the bands, sack ends, and hoops and having their ends projected into the said orifices, and nuts arranged in the orifices to engage the ends of the bolts.

4. Abanana-crate comprisinga plurality of staves provided near their terminals with orices and transverse depressions, hoops secured to the ends of the staves, a sack having its ends clamped against the hoops, and holding-cords to engage either the orifices or depressions for securing the mouths of the sack.

5. Abanana-crate comprisinga pluralityof staves, hoops secured to the terminals of the staves, a sack having its ends turned over the hoops and corded, clamping-bands having anges to inclose the periphery of the hoops and engage the corded edges of the sack, and means for securing the clamping-bands to the staves.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I havel hereto aiXed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

WALTER REGINALD MONTGOMERY. Witnesses:

A. J. EVANS, S. J. WARD, Jr. 

